Box-maker&#39;s former.



No. 648,22I. Patented Apr. 24, |900.

- l f W. L. SMITH.

Box MAKEB'S FORMER.

2 sheets-sheet l.

N0. 648,22I. Q Patented Apr. 24, |900. W. L` SMITH.

BOX MAKERS FORMER.

v (Application led May 13, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A

www MW .Btfwm omweg UNITE STATES ATHNI i Fries,

WALTER L. SMITH, oF oHIcAGo, ILLINOIS, AsSIGNoR To HENRY DATE-or AUSTIN, ILLINOIS.

BOX-MAKERS FORMER.

SPECIFICATION romingpart of Leitersratet No. 648,221, dated April 24, 1900.

Application filed May l 3, 1 8 9 9.

To all whom it' may concern: v

Beit known that I, MVALTER L.SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a'resident of Chicago, county ofCook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BoX-Makers Formers, of which the following is a specification, 'and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates .to a box having a round-ed end made of a single piece of cardboard or the likeand to the machine for forming thesame. Its object is to provide a box, with a book form or rounded end,which can be cheaply made, and which will retain its shape, and mechanism for quickly and con# veniently permanently shaping the rounded end of the box. This object is accomplished in the manner and by the means hereinafter fully described, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which? l Figure lis an isometric view of the former.` Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section ofv the same. Fig. 3 is a detail of the pedal mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of' certain parts of the operating mechanism. Figs. el, 5, and 6 are detail transverse sections of the forming-jaws, showing the different positions assumed in the operation. Fig. 7 is anisometric view of the box in the manufacture of which'the device is used, and Fig. 8 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of the machine.

The former is mounted upon a suitable table or .bench A, which has in its top an aperture ci. Across one end of this aperture and located upon what may betermed the front of the table there is a Inetal die-plate B, having a groove b, longitudinal as to the table and insulated from the table by a suitable sheet C of non-heatconducting material. A burner D is located immediately below the die-plate B and provided with a Suitable gaspipe d, so that the plate may beheated. A vertically-swingingl arm E is pivoted at the rear end of the table, as in the standard e, and

. extends forward over the groove Z9 in the dieplate In. This arm is supported by a spring e@ A metal pressure-strip G, adapted to fit within the groove b, is carried by the forward VSerial No. 716,771. (No model.)

end of' the lever E, being attached thereto by means ofa link g, secured to a block H, fixed to the under face of the arm.` A portion of the lower end of the vblock -I-I is beveled, as -shown at 7i, So that when the arm E-is in its 55 elevated position, as shown in Fig. l, the strip G assumesa position oblique to it. The second block 7i is fixed to the lower face of the arm E, opposite the inner end of the strip G,

and is of the same length as the block H, so 6o that when thearm is depressed to sinkthe strip G into the groove b pressure is applied to both ends of the strip.

The arm E is actuated by a pedal J, located below the table and suitably connected with 65 the arm, as shown, by means ofthe cord jand the rigid link-bar j'. l

A pair of reciprocating metal plates K K rest upon the die-plate B and are located, respectively, upon oppositesides of the groove 7o b and spanned by guide-loops b', xed to the plate B. Each of these plates isixed to an oscillating arm 7c, pivoted to the top of the table A near its rearward end, and the plates are thrown backward away from the groove 75 b'byineans of springs 7c', bearing against their carryingarms. The reciprocation oi' the plates K K is also accomplished by means vof the pedal J. The connection with the pedal is by means of bell-cranks L L, one for 8o each of the plates, these bell-cranks being pivotally attached to the standard of lthe table'A, one arm of each being connected with one of the levers la and their other or horizontal arms being both attached to a block M, 85,' yto which is attached one end ofthe cord j.

This cord passes around a sheave m, carried by the pedal J, so that the downward movement of the pedal causes the advance of all of the arms E and llc 7c. nection between the block M and the levers L L is by means of tenons m on the block loosely entering mortises Z in the ends of the levers and pins m, settransversely through the tenonsand loosely through longitudinal 954 slots Z in the levers. Itis necessaryin pracj tice that the strip G enter the groove b before' theplates K K are advanced, and this is vacco-mplished by making the spring e of less tension than the springs 7c 7o', so that when Ioo As shown, the con- 9o l the plates K K.

pressure is applied to the pedal J the spring e is the first to yield, the springs 7a' not being compressed until the strip G is tirmly seated within the groove b.

The box in the manufacture of which the machine forming in part the subject of this application is employed is shown at O, and the particular part of the box formed by the machine is the rounded or tubularend piece o, which is formed of a single oblong strip having its side4 edges overturned until they approximatelymeet. While I describe the part ol as tubular, I use the term loosely, as

the form assumed by the part is in cross-sec# tion an irregular oval. In forming'this box end the stripo is placed over the groove b, resting upon the plates K K, as shown in Fig. 1i. Pressure being applied to the pedal J, the strip G is now brought down, carrying the piece o into the groove b, as shown in Fig. 5, the side edges ot' the piece o being upturned and resting against the inner edges of These plates now being advanced, the edges of the piece o are folded down upon the back of the strip G, as shown in Fig. (l. The plates B and K K being heated by the lamp D, the piece o soon becomes hot and when removed from the machine will retain the form to Which it has been folded. Pressure upon the pedal Jbeing removed, the springs 7s.' 7c at once throw back the plates K K, and then the spring e raises the strip G, which assumes the inclined positionshown inFig. l, so that the formed tube may readily' slip from its inner end.

Various details of the construction may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention-as, for example, the attachment of the compression-strip G to the lever E might be at the rearward instead of the for' Ward end of the strip.

The connection between the pedal and the compression and folding members may be va- -ried from that shown and described. In this particular my invention consists in so attach` ing the pedal to the movable parts of the machine `that by a single stroke of the pedal the compression members and folding members Will be successively advanced and retracted.

I claim as my inventionl. In aboX-makers former, in combination, an apertured table, a grooved metal die-plate mounted on the table over its aperture, a burner for heating the die-plate, a spring-supported oscillating arm above the table, a compression-strip pivotally carried by such arm for entering the groove of the die-plate, reciprocating folder-plates adapted to overlap such groove, and means for advancing the compression-plate and folder-plates successively.

2.. In a box-makers former, in combination,

a grooved die-plate, an oscillating arm above the die-plate, a compression-strip pivotally attached at one end to the arm, a stop for limiting the angular movement of the strip, such arm being adapted to bear upon the free end of the strip when it is Within the die-plate groove.

3. In a box` makers former, in combination,

a grooved die-plate, a spring-supported oscillat-ing compression member, spring-retracted folder-plates, a pedal, a cord having its ends connected respectively with the compression members and .the ,folder members andbeing in running engagement with the pedal, the springs of the `folder members being of greater tension than the spring of the compression y member.

4. In a boX-makers former, in combination, a spring-supported oscillating arm carrying a compression member, a pair of reciprocating folder plates, spring retracted oscillating arms carrying such plates, a bell-crank for actuating each of such arms, a pedal, a cord having oneend attached to the first-mentioned oscillating arm and its other end connected With the free ends of the bell-cranks, such cord being in running engagement with the pedal, and the springs cooperating with the folder-plates being of greater tension than the springcoperating with the compression member.

WALTER L. SMITH.

Titnessesz Louis K. GILLsoN, PAUL CARPENTER. 

